The past while The Bike Addict and myself have been fiddling with my little yellow dust kicker. And… I’ll tell you.. People have had mixed opinions haha. Some have come at me with the “holy cow that’s awesome” and the “oh okay”, but one that just sort of bothers me is the comment our page got about how we’re just stupid kids playing with our tonka toys.

Now in a world where brothers kill each other, men die before their fathers, women lose themselves, presidents steal from the people and evil monsters kill the dog who saved my life over a 125cc Honda, how can people still be cruel enough to put down their biker brothers and sisters?

Life is cruel sometimes, and a lot of the time we bikers take the brunt of it. I got new and interesting/cute/funny patches on my cut last week, and you should see the looks people give me. Reading me like a book, judging me, running through their heads briefly “I wonder how much laws he’s broken, how wrong he’s done.”

Half of the world adores us, my friends. And unfortunately the other half thinks less of us, some more than others. But in an evil-ish age like this, why can’t we stand together? If people in cars won’t look out for us, what else can we do but look out for each other?

One day I was riding with my previous horse Dodgy and I stopped next to the road for 10 seconds to improve my glove feel. 3 bikers going the opposite direction slowed down hastily one after the other and gave me the “are you okay?” finger point. THAT is respect, THAT is why we do what we do.

We are a band of brothers and sisters, fighting for unity and freedom in the chaos of this new world. The “Smiles Per Gallon” doesn’t just apply to the people around you, it applies to the smiles you receive as well..

So ride good, ride safe, and look out for each other. You’re not alone out there, you have a family of 600 thousand PLUS put there, you just need to show them you’re there for them too.

I have been active in the motorcycling lifestyle since the tender age of 13. Since I first hopped onto the pillion seat of Mechanical MacGyver’s then Conti 200 cc. The bug had bit me quite hard and caused me to spend countless weekends clinging onto my father’s jacket on the back of every machine he had ever owned. In this time I was given the opportunity to dip my toe into the strange world of piloting a motorcycle. (None of which was done on public roads, as operating a motorcycle without a license on a public road is illegal.)

Three years down the line, just after my 16th birthday, I could legally pilot a motorcycle on public roads, if such a bike had an engine displacement equal to or less than 125 cc. This is where my journey with Popcorn Machine began. The little 125 cc Honda that took me wherever my 16-year-old heart desired. Though I would often still ride pillion on my father’s machine on long trips or trips requiring a brisk pace. The transition between pilot and pillion at this point still occurred seamlessly. As one does not exactly develop a unique riding style on a tiny, slow 125 cc.

Add another three years, and we come to the point where restoration of the Little Yellow Honda (my VFR400R) reached a stage of completion. In the preceding three years I did occasionally ride Mechanical MacGyver’s Old Faithful (a mean Kawasaki ZZR400, with a 600cc engine swap). However, very little of my time was spent as a pillion. With the more powerful machines one does tend to develop a unique riding style. A “spidey sense”, if you will, of how and when one starts to slow down for corners, a preferred lean angle limit, and when to roll back onto the throttle.

Enter the present. I’m still avidly riding my Little Yellow Honda, and Mechanical MacGyver has upgraded to a beast of a bike. His personal “Duiweltjie” (little devil) of a Honda CBR1000RR. This is also the point in time where I make the realisation leading to the title of the post, as I discover that a pillion, I am no more.

Around two weeks ago, Mechanical MacGyver’s bakkie (a pick up truck for those across the pond) suffers a blown head gasket. This means that, under the vehicle’s warranty, it had to be repaired by an authorised dealer. Hence we set out to deliver the vehicle to said dealer. As the vehicle is still somewhat operable, Mechanical MacGyver drives it to the dealer, with me on the “Duiweltjie” following close behind. (The bike would be a traffic and hassle free return trip to drop me off and Mechanical MacGyver’s ride to work)With the vehicle dropped off, I hop onto the pillion seat of this beast and we set off.

Oh the horrors that ensued. Barely exiting the dealer’s lot I am already sick to my stomach. The forces of acceleration, deceleration and cornering feel all but friendly and familiar. My “spidey sense” goes completely haywire as Mechanical MacGyver goes about riding in his usual way, completely contradictory to my own style of riding. For the first time in a very long time I am truly afraid of a motorcycle. My stomach is churning and I feel like I’m on a carnival ride from hell. I have lost all sense of control and was clinging to Mechanical MacGyver for what felt to be dear life. It was truly a horrifying experience. Surrendering control after almost 6 years of riding in control. The 20 minute return trip turned out to be the worst 20 minutes of my life thus far. I hope that I never have to experience anything similar again.

A very queasy Motorcycle Addict, wishing you all a safe ride, and more enjoyable journey.

Hello to everyone in the vast reaches of cyberspace. The past weekend marked the annual Ink & Iron day jol. As I’ve said at the start of the year, I will be doing a post about every event that I attend this year. The Ink & Iron day jol will be the first entry in this list.

The Ink & Iron jol is basically a custom bike concourse with a few tattoo competitions thrown into the mix for good measure. The event ran till late but due to circumstances we had to leave early. Here are some of the photos of the custom bikes that were on display at the event:

(Note that my camera’s time and date stamps are out of whack again)

Oh. They had pizza in a cone too.

Can’t wait to see what will be in store next year. I hope that the custom touches on Anxiety’s bike will be done so he can enter the event as well.

Hello to everyone in the vast reaches of cyberspace. At the start of 2018 we set out to improve our site and expand to incorporate YouTube as well.

To the same extent, Anxiety on Wheels set out to improve his bike. A well-aged Honda NT400 Bros. After some discussion we have decided to turn this endeavor into a video series that we’ll be uploading to YouTube.

Don’t fret though, the videos will be added to our blog as well. The first instalment of this series covers the installation of an aftermarket gauge cluster, and you can check it out below:

As said in the movie Zombieland, rule #32: Enjoy The Little Things. Or in this case, enjoy what the little things do.

The previous week I took it upon myself to finally complete Dusty’s service. You know.. Finish what I forgot. Namely I ordered the Petrol Filter and Air Filter. Needless to say we had to remove some things, namely a tank which meant sucking out petrol. After doing so, The Bike Addict and myself discovered a sad fact, my petrol tank was rusting inside as most old bike tanks do. Now for those who don’t know, finding rust in your petrol is pretty bad, like “discovering your car used to be white before it was red” bad. How bad? Well the rust was so built up in the old Fuel Filter that when I turned it upside down it turned into a rust pepper shaker, perfect for outdoor braai’s (barbecue’s for our friends across the lake) and parties.

Rust gathering at the bottom of our fuel container

After blowing out the muddy-like petrol from the old filter with a disgusted face, we worked out on the new one which had notably bigger nozzles and with some little work and effort it was placed in… well… it’s place.

Old, cruddy air filter and old, cruddy, fuel filter

During this, the air filter was also replaced, which took minimal effort. A few screws, a few gasps, some air blowing on the old one for laughs and then finally doing what was meant to be done.. The filter was fit, snug as a bug. Looking sharp I might add.

Old vs New.

Then we put the beastie back together, checking here and there for any problems (of which none were found) and then it was time for a test ride.

Now, for those who have even ridden an under-fuelling vehicle.. It’s terrible. Splattering if you open the throttle too widely, with a sort of power bleed. When taking the newly sorted mini-monster for a test ride I rediscovered my love for this yellow Honda (YET AGAIN!!). Power feels like it’s increased, as if I have power on demand, it no longer feels like she’s “scraping the ceiling” when I fully open her up too fast and all over performance (and fun) is improved.

Unfortunately, depending on how rusted my petrol tank is, my power will start becoming limited again as the new filter starts clogging up. So to fix this, I need to have my tank lined again on the inside and then replace the filter again along with it, but that I do another day as I’ve just ordered some major parts to continue our custom build for Dusty. But for now, the anticipation is killing me.

Ride safe, ride often and remember (as I’ve said): The little parts make a BIG difference.

Hello again to everyone in the vast reaches of cyberspace. A short time ago I did a post about myself attempting to go “full squid”. This practice is thought to be quite dangerous as one travels on a motorcycle with very little in terms of protective gear. Understandably, and as predicted, our ride along paramedic, Quick Fix, did not approve of this exercise. So I thought why not give her the opportunity to tell us why she doth protest so much.

So without further adieu, here is the first ever blog post by Quick fix:

(A note to our sensitive readers, the following piece contains images which some of you may find upsetting.)

“Hello, hello, hello

Quick fix signing in

Good day to everyone near and far.

After the squidage post; done by the Bike Addict; I have been asked to do a piece on motorcycles from the view of a paramedic and the differences in the after effects regarding safety or no-safety riding.

A big factor that does come out is that there are actually a lot more motorcycle accidents on the roads than are actually realised. Many are just scrapes or bumps and the rider simply picks up their wheels and carries on their merry way.

However, about 20% of bike accidents are in need of emergency medical assistance and these ladies and gents are the ones that are most known about.

On an average month in the emergency setting about 20 motorcycle accidents occur of which only four to five need emergency medical help.

These are the cases where they need to be transported to the emergency ward or get airlifted immediately.

Having a motorcycle fatality in itself is rare but, not impossible.

The greater the force and acceleration of the accident taking place, the greater the injury or the chances thereof.

Mostly the rider skids with his wheels or gets knocked over, climbs back on and off he goes escaping with a few minor scrapes and scratches.

Severe motorcycle accident signs and symptoms include; amputations of limbs: partially or fully, severe skin removal if no jacket has been worn or jeans ripped through, head injuries due to force, multiple fractures, internal injuries, spinal injuries and shock.

A little message of warning, an accident can happen in the blink of an eye.

The riders of the motorcycles should ALWAYS have a helmet on. Contrary to popular belief, we in the emergency setting post-accident tend to leave helmets on. The only time a helmet will be removed (we are trained in removing a motorcycle helmet and the dangers surrounding them) is when there is a compromised airway and our patient is having a life-threatening emergency which requires specific medical intervention.

The first and foremost form of treatment for any motorcycle accident is to immobilise our patient ASAP.

This is done with the use of a spine board and head blocks. If any conditions pursue, e.g. cardiac arrest, the riding gear gets surgically cut off without movement of the patient. (Sorry guys and girls. But it’s your riding jacket vs your life).

If you happen to come across a motorcycle accident, panic quickly and then get over it, it’s about to get real:

First and foremost, make sure that your scene is safe, don’t become the next victim! Job creation only goes that far.

Call the emergency services!!!! No ifs and/or buts.

Chat to the unfortunate bloke, reassurance does wonders to the body, this way you also notice if he is conscious or not.

Never remove helmet, leave to the professionals,(like me LOL)

Airway and breathing can be done by simply placing a hand on the chest and feeling for rise and fall.

Tell the emergency services any and all info!

A few numbers to phone:

ER24- 084 124

Province- 10177 Landline 112

Interesting fact, 112 is the only emergency number that can be dialled in South Africa without a sim card. (So don’t stress if you don’t have airtime)

A few personal experience stories will be shared over time, so hang in there, be safe on the roads and I hope we don’t meet by accident!

Since the dawn of the motorcycle a debate has been running. Every time one mounts his iron steed the question arises… A.T.G.A.T.T. or Squid? First, lets define these two concepts by referring to the good old Urban Dictionary:

So in short, your A.T.G.A.T.T. rider is the bloke who doesn’t even start his bike without all the proper riding gear on. In 99.8% of circumstances I also fall within this category, as I wouldn’t move my bike outside my yard without wearing protective gear in the form of a helmet, jacket, boots, and gloves.

So how does a squid look? Squids are usually those blokes that blow past you on the highway, running only on their back wheel, wearing nothing but a shirt, shorts, and flipflops. (Here’s where our ride along paramedic, Quick Fix, winces, as she’ll probably tell you that an accident in this attire leaves most of the human body badly hurt.)

So what drives me, a young adult male, to abandon my safety protocol in favour of a far more dangerous option? Well, in short, the heat, messed up zipper on my jacket, and a pair of ripped jeans. Couple this with the curiosity of experiencing why self proclaimed squids choose to abandon all safety gear and you have a cocktail for possible disaster. (Once again, I fear that Quick Fix may not approve of this expedition into dangerous waters)

But what did I learn as an A.T.G.A.T.T. rider turned Squid? Firstly, no protection means more caution in my case. This was probably my biggest concern going squid: what will the result be if I were to come off my motorcycle? Automatically my riding speed lowered and lean angle decreased. Apparently, I’d rather play it safe when there’s a little skin in the game. (Pun intended).

Secondly, another automatic response kicked in. The traffic around my made me a little more nervous. I spent almost the entire ride covering my controls. Also spending a few milliseconds more observing traffic at intersections. I seriously didn’t want anything to cause myself to come into contact with tar. Especially if it could have been easily avoided.

Lastly, other riders seem quite disapproving of a full squid rider. In stead of the usual nods, saying hi and wishing you a safe ride, I got a lot of head shakes and the impression that all those riders are thinking “what the hell is this guy doing on the roads?” From personal experience I know that when a rider crosses paths with a squid, the general thought is that the squid will probably pull a wheelie at the next light and give fellow riders a bad reputation.

So what are my thoughts post squidige? Self proclaimed squids are brave, I have to admit. Yes, less protective gear means that you won’t be boiling in 30+ °C (86+ °F) weather. However, for me, I’d rather be sweating in a jacket than bleeding without one. I’ve sampled the world of Squiding and it’s definitely not for me. I’ll stick with good old A.T.G.A.T.T.

People have mowed down this idea of bikers over and over throughout the years. This horrible experience people have uhm.. well… experienced, has left them with this stereotype they are spreading across the country and the world. But come on, no one likes someone who does the stereotyping thing.

I’m sick and ti… No WE are sick and tired of this horrible image people project onto others, about what bikers act like and talk like and it has left a horrible taste in my mouth. YES there are those who deem themselves the percentage of hooligans that drink and ride, who mod their bikes to hooligan noise status. Those who break all the traffic rules and basically spread mayhem across the roads, leaving little kids thinking “holy cow, that’s what bikers are like” and some even think that’s “so cool”, and even grow up being like that and doing those things.

Honestly I can be reckless, I do take chances but I KNOW my limits and I look at the consequences before I act. Which is where people say how bikers are always the victim isn’t always right.. Hell it’s practically more a matter of the biker tried a risky move and that’s why the person suddenly didn’t see them.

If you ride, when you ride.. Think about the consequences of your actions. Because it’s not just your life on the line on a cleverly placed rocket beneath a tank of gas, because there are other people who can lose quite a lot if you hit them with a flying hunk of metal and rubber.

In all honesty, the biker stereotype is not just because of people over exaggerating the details of their biker encounter. The stereotypes are caused by reckless bikers and unfortunately, that one time you’re reckless or a little thoughtless is the time a group of girls see you doing a wheelie and landing on a windshield and then that image sticks.

When people see me in my gear for the first time, they think I’m probably a guy rolling in a club, drinking and racing with a fast bike. Showing off, revving my engine and all that nonsense (and yes, this has been said to me, so I’m not exaggerating). But people don’t know I’ve studied to be a Medic, that I have a Yorkie named Pepper, that I read Shakespeare and that I’m most days crazy and somewhat odd. That’s what people don’t get, that we’re human frigging beings… That we have jobs, that we have families, hobbies other than bikes, pets and that a lot of us actually do charity work.

So my request today, after my long irritating rant, is that we start breaking down this stereotype and this is something myself and The Bike Addict are discussing long and hard at the moment.

Show the world what bikers really are, let’s show them we are here to stay and that we’re better than the words they use to describe us.

It’s the start of a new year and pretty much the start of a new riding season here in South Africa. Myself and Anxiety on Wheels may be a little ahead of the crowd when it comes to starting the new season, as we dusted off our trusty steeds and took a ride to our favourite burger joint, Dukes Burgers. The burgers were amazing… as usual.

Below you can see our route and information as tracked by the Riser App. I must say, the app has been greatly improved since I reviewed it just before the start of the holidays. They’ve even included a “getaway” feature where you can plan trips with your friends and community.

For those of you who would like to take a trip to Dukes Burgers, I include the map bellow.

From all of us here at the Bike Addict, we wish all our readers a prosperous 2018.

2018 and Bike Addict

So enough with the niceties and straight down to brass tacks. 2017 is behind us and 2018 has arrived. 365 days of opportunity (give or take a few days passed). I sit here typing this post with beads of nervous sweat forming… 2018 is here…

2018 promises a few big changes both in my personal life as well as this blog. For those in the know, I’ve completed my studies and obtained my degree. This means I’m currently in the job hunt. (Fingers crossed). What does this mean for the blog? At this point in time I cannot concretely say, but I do hope that it helps with the much-needed funds to properly repair my Little Yellow Honda. We’ve been patching it up as best we can with a non-existent budget for the past year.

As for my vast amounts of free time, I fear it would come to an end when I take up a new job. Is this a bad thing? Yes and no. Yes, because instead of spending most of my time tinkering, I would have to spend it working. No, because, as I’ve said, the funds are needed to repair my bike, and make a few investments to improve our blog.

So from the above, I hope that 2018 would be the year where I write more posts from trips rather than posts from the garage. Along with this I hope to invest in some tech and gear to bring my motorcycle blogging into this century, and do some tech reviews.

Our good friend Anxiety on Wheels has also completed a qualification, which I would leave in his hands to discuss further. As for his Dusty Leafblower, we’ve been talking about this little machine and Anxiety has some great ideas. Watch this space and see what develops.

So instead of setting a list of things to attend in this year, We’ve set a single goal: “Make it better”. How much better you may ask. The answer is simple, better than it was the previous post. This means that (I hope) we can keep improving throughout 2018 and involve a larger community in this project. As Anxiety on Wheels and I have discussed, we’d like to change things up a bit. This isn’t just our blog, we want it to be a true bikers/ motorcycle enthusiasts blog. Our goal would be to involve participants from all over the world to share their riding stories with us.

What type of stories? Absolutely anything goes as long as it involves a motorcycle and a PG rating. Written a biker fan fiction of your favourite show? We’d love to read it. Set a new land speed record on your 250cc? Please tell us more. Had an interesting event occur on your commute? Please let us know. We would really like to involve our readers in this blog.

Definite Changes

For now these are some definite changes that are coming to the blog:

I’ve received some complaints about events requiring bookings or registrations only being advertised when the event takes place. So to fix this events, where pre-booking/registration is required, will be advertised in our upcoming events for one week prior to the close of bookings. We’ll be calling these “One Week Warnings”. On same note, the first few advertised events for the year should start showing in the upcoming events shortly.

Secondly, every event I attended or solo ride I do will have a post about it. This guarantees that I will make time to maintain the blog and keep riding. I started this blog almost 2 years ago to share my riding stories, if I decide not to post about a ride, it defeats the purpose. This will drive me in keeping up with the initial purpose of this blog.

Thirdly, it’s time for social awareness. More on this as it develops.

Additionally, our site will be undergoing some maintenance, please bear with us while we try to bring you a cleaner, better looking blog.

Lastly, reader involvement. Like I’ve said before in this post and many others, this isn’t just a blog for ranting and sharing my stories. I’d love to involve our entire reader community in sharing their stories and their take on events. We receive info regarding events in South Africa and surrounding regions, but we would like to know what’s happening, for example, at Sturgis in the USA, or when this year’s Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride in the UK will be? For this to happen, we’ll need a few folks in those regions to share with us. If you feel that you would like to contribute please head over to our contact page.

And there we have it folks. Here’s to what were hoping to be a year full of safe rides and enjoyable journeys.

Hello to everyone in the vast reaches of cyberspace. We interrupt the seasons festivities to bring you this important news update.

According to sources including The Bike Show and News24, a Democratic Alliance councillor has been suspended for making a few hateful averments on his social media page. This councillor, one Ockert Fourie, took to Facebook stating (in Afrikaans) that: “I wish I could just take pieces of steel [and see the] blood and intestines and brains [of motorcyclists] against lamp poles and on tar roads.”

Fourie claims that we bikers have no respect for the elderly and persons working night shifts, as we create excessive noise with our bikes. He further said that we can’t be educated as we tend to swear, gang up and just increase the noise level. “So, blood tissue and pieces of skull and intestines against lamp poles will give satisfaction for this hateful conduct and conscienceless people.”

The post has since been deleted and Fourie has posted an apology, stating that the post wasn’t aimed at “all motorcyclists”, but he apologises to all none the less. The Northern Cape Democratic Alliance has since condemned Fourie’s actions and he has since been suspended.

Some of South Africa’s bikers have also returned fire, informing him of charity focused bike clubs, most charity events such as the Annual Toy Run and that bikers are people with families too.

Although Fourie has apologised, the issue remains that the general public truly distrust motorcyclists, bikers, sometimes even Grangran on her power scoot heading to the supermarket. Shows like Sons of Anarchy, Outlaw Empires, Outlaw Bikers, Outlaw Chronicles: Hells Angels, etc. have given all motorcyclists a bad reputation. People see all motorcyclists as being the outlaws they see on tv. So all motorcyclists have to work overtime to try to improve the motorcyclist image. I’ve mentioned this in a previous post. But it doesn’t seem to be improving the situation, as can be seen from the above.

For those who feel like going the same road as Fourie and just airing dirty laundry on social media, here’s a few tips: Firstly, don’t do it. Secondly, remember that not all bikers/motorcyclists are the same. There are law abiding motorcyclists who love their families and do their best to positively contribute to society. Thirdly, if there’s a few bikers ticking you off, address them. Don’t go around proclaiming death to all motorcyclists.

Yes, we’re loud. Yes, we swear. Yes, we do more for charity than those who wish us death. For all my fellow motorcyclists, safe ride, and enjoy the journey.

About Us

Bike addict is a blog highlighting both the ups and downs of the motorcycling lifestyle. Note that the author and contributing authors write from a personal perspective, therefore the content of this page reflects solely the views of the authors and cannot at all times be deemed to provide an accurate representation of the information as a whole.

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